Society to host open banner contest

ESCONDIDO -- Although she is not an artist, 83-year-old LouiseHoy Cook puts paint brush to canvas every year to try and capturethe spirit of the city’s Grape Day Festival and Parade.

Undeterred by her lack of training or practice, she participatesin the Escondido Historical Society’s annual, free contest to turna two-sided white canvas banner into an illustration of the city’sannual community festival and parade, this year set for Sept.6.

“I have participated for the last three years just to see if Ireally could do it,” she said of the banner painting. “I never wasan artist. I always did things like needlework and quiltinginstead.”

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The Escondido Society just put out its yearly call for anybody,artist or not, to come down to its office at 321 N. Broadway andenter the free contest. Entry will put every participant in adrawing for a $100 prize.

“We started the banner contest to get the arts more involved,"said Wendy Barker, the executive director of the EscondidoHistorical Society, as she unpacked a box of old banners at thesociety’s office in Grape Day Park Tuesday. “We hang all of thebanners around the park during the event.”

Barker pointed out that the finished banners range from preciseoil paintings of grape vines and wine bottles to more casual scenicpictures complete with fake flowers and leaves attached or fineneedlework and fringe. One banner, adhering to a space theme, waslined with purple bulbs posing as grape bunches.

Only about six to 12 people turn in completed banners each year,and Barker said the deadline for this year’s banners is Sept. 3.All banners must be returned to the Historical Society or theArtists Gallery, 121 W. Grand Ave. in downtown Escondido.

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The finished banners are displayed on poles held by local GirlScouts marching in the Grape Day Parade, and then kept fordecorations in future events, Barker said.

Escondido’s Grape Day Festival dates back to 1908, whenEscondido was the county’s center for wine production and the eventwas used to promote the town, Barker said.

As the event grew it also endured long hiatuses. For example itwas put on hold between 1941 and 1945 during World War II and in1947 because of a major flu epidemic, according to Barker. It wasresurrected by the historical society in 1996 and has been growingever since. This year it is set to include grape stomping, games,craft vendors and a wine garden, she added.

The banners can illustrate the Grape Day festivities or canfocus on the event’s annual theme. This year, the theme is “GrapeDay Goes to the Movies,” in honor of a 16-screen movie theater nowunder construction in downtown Escondido. The city’s first largemovie theater, as well as the only movie theater in this city of134,000 people, is set to open in November.

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“With the theater opening up soon, we wanted to go with a movietheme,” Barker said. “We also plan to hand out movie posters duringthe festival.”

The movie theme got Cook thinking, and researching, she saidTuesday. An avid old movie fan, she decided to make her banner ahistory of movies.

“I am putting more work in this one than I should,” she said. “Iam starting with the silent movies and bringing the history forwardto the new theater.”

She said she has enjoyed researching the look of the old and newtheaters and hopes the banner can also be used to show thoseyounger than she how movies, as well as Escondido, have grownthrough the years.

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“I am probably one of the few people around here who remembersgoing to silent movies,” she said chuckling. “So I guess it’s goodthat I can do this.”

For more information, contact the Escondido Historical Societyat (760) 743-4382.